Glendale approves new full-time position to address film permit influx

December 14, 2013|By Brittany Levine, brittany.levine@latimes.com

A film crew, who said they were filming preliminary ideas… (Tim Berger / Staff…)

The number of film permits issued in Glendale has been rising at such a pace that the Civil Service Commission this week greenlighted a new position just to handle the influx.

Film permits are currently issued by an office services specialist in the City Clerk’s office, but making it a full-time job for an employee will better serve the film industry, which can bring increased revenue to the city, said City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian at a Wednesday meeting of the commission, which handles human resources issues.

“We need to make sure that this industry that is still the backbone of the economy in this region stays here [in Glendale] and we want to make sure that we send that message clearly to the industry by having this position,” Kassakhian said.

He added that there once was a stigma that Glendale wasn’t interested in working with the film studios, but that sentiment has since been corrected.

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“We are open for business,” Kassakhian said, adding that it’s been his goal since being elected in 2005 to make Glendale more film-friendly. “We want companies to come here and film here.”

More than 270 film permits have been issued so far this year, up from 199 in 2004, Kassakhian said. In 2010, 291 film permits were issued.

Much of the filming takes place at the former police building on the corner of Wilson Avenue and Isabel Street. Television shows such as “Parks & Recreation,” “The Neighbors” and “Criminal Minds” have been filmed in Glendale.

While filming had dipped during the recession in the Los Angeles area, Glendale was still seeing gains. Now, Los Angeles-area filming has seen a modest recovery in the third quarter of this year.

In October, FilmL.A., the official film office of the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and other area jurisdictions, announced that filming increased 9.5% to 11,792 permits in the third quarter, compared to the same period a year ago.

The annual salary range for the new position, which will be filled via a promotional exam within the city, will be $34,752 to $53,328.